Internet service has become ubiquitous and the means by which it is obtained varies widely. For example, internet service may be provided through a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), a Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) based internet service over cable television system (Cable Modem), a fiber optic network, a wireless communication network, a satellite communication network, etc. When the internet service provides high data transfer rates it is often referred to as broadband internet service. Broadband internet service is generally understood to be a service that is always on and offers data transfer rates on the order of mega-bits per second or higher for both download (DL) and upload (UL).
A client device as defined in the present disclosure is a device that may use the internet service from one or more of the available internet service sources. Such client devices may include conventional client devices such as a smartphone, a tablet, a feature-phone, a laptop or a desktop personal computer, etc. Other client devices may include devices that are embedded within devices that perform other functions. For example, an entertainment system in a home or in an automobile, a home appliance such as a refrigerator or washer/dryer, a wristwatch with a heart rate monitor, a medical device such as a blood pressure meter or insulin sensor, a utility meter, a gaming console, a camera, a navigation device, industrial equipment, etc., may include a client device. These types of devices may be collectively referred herein as machine type client devices.
These diverse types of client devices may access the internet service directly through one of the primary sources of internet service as mentioned earlier. Alternatively, a client device may access the internet service through a local network, which may perform distribution of the primary internet service to the users localized in a given area. Examples of such local networks include Local Area Network (LAN) using Ethernet, Wireless LAN (WLAN) commonly known as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth™, Zigbee or some other local area networking schemes. The wireless local networking schemes are collectively referred herein as Short Range Wireless Link (SRWL). The wire-line local networking schemes, such as DSL, Cable Modem, Ethernet, etc. are collectively referred herein as Short Range Cabled Link (SRCL). Both the SRWL and SRCL together are referred to as Short Range Link (SRL). When a client device is in proximity of a location where an SRL access is available, it may access the internet service using it. FIG. 1 illustrates an example scenario of client devices accessing the internet service over a WLAN SRWL that is connected to a traditional wire-line internet service such as a DSL or a DOCSIS Cable Modem. The local area where WLAN service is available is often referred to as a Hotspot. The device that offers the WLAN service in a given local area is referred to as an Access Point (AP). In the present disclosure, the terms Hotspot AP or Hotspot are used interchangeably to refer to the device that offers the WLAN service in a given local area.
A Hotspot AP may be connected to the DSL/DOCSIS Cable Modem through any of the standardized interfaces such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), Ethernet, or proprietary interfaces. In some cases, the DSL/DOCSIS Cable Modem and the Hotspot AP may be part of a single physical device. In such cases, the interface between the DSL/DOCSIS Cable Modem and AP may use Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO) or another suitable interface.
Client devices may also obtain internet service over mobile wireless networks. These mobile wireless networks are often referred to as Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN). The internet service offered by such networks is often referred to as mobile broadband internet service or simply Mobile Broadband (MB) and the mobile wireless networks are often referred to as mobile broadband networks. The terms WWAN and MB are used interchangeably herein. A WWAN operator may deploy multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3GPP Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Evolution Data Only/Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO), etc. Different client devices with different capabilities may connect to the WWAN using different suitable RATs for getting internet service. There may be one or more WWAN operators providing service in a particular geographic area. Each WWAN operator may use the same or different types of RATs. For providing end-to-end services, a WWAN many include, in addition to RATs, other network elements such as gateways and interfaces with other networks. Some client devices may have capability of supporting two Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) corresponding to two different WWAN internet service providers. Some client devices with two SIMs may be able to get internet service from two WWANs simultaneously.
As the variety of client devices has increased and the demand for MB service has increased, a device known as a mobile Hotspot is commonly used. A mobile Hotspot device includes both a modem for WWAN and a WLAN AP (Hotspot AP) to distribute the internet service to local client devices. FIG. 2 illustrates the block diagram of an example mobile Hotspot device. As shown in FIG. 2, for the chosen example, the WWAN modem and the Hotspot AP may be connected to each other via one of the standard interfaces used in the industry such as USB, SDIO, or proprietary interfaces. In another mobile Hotspot example, the WWAN modem and the WLAN AP may be an Integrated Circuit (IC) as shown in FIG. 3.
Some mobile Hotspot devices may serve as a single function device, i.e., they may only perform the mobile Hotspot function. Such mobile Hotspots may take many different form factors such as a mobile Hotspot integrated into an automobile, a standalone device that may be carried around with or without a battery, integrated into an accessory device such as a tablet, a standalone device that may be powered by a power wall outlet, etc.
Some client devices have multiple capabilities and being a Hotspot may be one of the capabilities. For example, a smartphone may have a WWAN modem that may be used to get mobile internet service directly from the mobile broadband network as illustrated in FIG. 4. The flow of data is as shown in FIG. 4 from the mobile broadband modem to the application processor that processes the download and upload application data and interacts with the user via the display and other elements of the user interface such as touch-screen, audio, vibration, etc. The smartphone may also have a WLAN modem to access internet service over a Hotspot AP. When it is near a Hotspot AP, it may use internet service from a Hotspot as illustrated in FIG. 1. In another smartphone example, the mobile broadband modem, the WLAN AP and the Application Processor may be an integrated device as shown in FIG. 5.
A smartphone may also serve as a mobile Hotspot to provide internet service over WLAN to other client devices in its vicinity. FIG. 6 illustrates an example scenario where the smartphone serves as a mobile Hotspot and provides internet service to a nearby client device that may have only the WLAN access. In another smartphone mobile hotspot example, the mobile broadband modem, the WLAN AP and the Application Processor may be integrated into a single IC as shown in FIG. 7.
A client device may have capability to access internet service from many different sources. For example, a client device may have capability to access internet service from a WWAN using any of the supported RATs, a WLAN, an Ethernet based LAN, a fiber-optic network, and a satellite based system. Some client devices may have capability to access internet service using only a subset of the above sources of internet service.
A client device may go in and out of the coverage of and internet service from a Hotspot or mobile Hotspot and seamlessly maintain the continuity of internet service by switching over to the WWAN when not connected to or not getting service from a Hotspot or mobile Hotspot.
To control congestion and to provide a proportionally fair internet service according to the type of subscription of each client device, an internet service provider, such as a WWAN operator, may exercise some sort of metering and throttling procedures. This type of procedures may be used regardless of whether a user may have subscribed to unlimited internet service or not.
A common feature among the conventional client devices is that they connect to only one source of internet service at a time. For example, if a client device has internet service available from both WWAN and WLAN, it may only get the internet service from one of those sources. In most cases the user may be already paying for the internet service from each of the internet sources from which the internet service may be available. For example, a user may be already paying for the WWAN service as well as DSL based WLAN internet service at home. Therefore, by using both the WWAN and WLAN services simultaneously the user may not be incurring any additional costs.
The internet data traffic carried over the local networking technologies such as Ethernet, WLAN, Bluetooth™, etc. is essentially free because these networks are locally deployed by the user in a home or by an employer in a work place. For example, when two users in a local area are connected to the same Hotspot AP of a WLAN and when they communicate with each other, the data packets of the communication may not go outside the local network. In such local communications, external entities may not be required. In such cases the communication between the client devices in a local area is free of cost. Furthermore, the communication latency may be much lower due to lack of involvement from external entities.